Real Madrid advance to Club World Cup final
Real Madrid secured a spot in the record-breaking fifth Club World Cup final with a commanding 4-1 victory over Al Ahly in the semi-final held in Rabat.
Despite Al Ahly’s efforts to make their mark, Madrid’s exceptional skills on Wednesday proved to be too much, securing a match against Al Hilal in the final on Saturday.
Vinicius Junior broke the tie with a clever goal in the 42nd minute, followed by Federico Valverde’s strike that gave Madrid a two-goal lead right after the break.
Al Ahly responded with Ali Maaloul’s penalty goal, but Luka Modric’s penalty shot was saved. In added time, Rodrygo and Sergio Arribas scored to secure the win for Madrid.
In the beginning, the match was tight with both teams having chances to score. Mohamed Sherif and Mohamed Abdelmonem came close for Al Ahly, while Vinicius tested the goalkeeper, Mohamed El-Shenawy, from a tight angle.
Recap
Al Ahly
Real Madrid
| Game Statistics | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yellow cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 8 | Corner Kick | 4 |
| 7 | Saves | 4 |
| 5 | Shots on Goal | 11 |
| 15 | Shots | 19 |
| OFF | 0 | |
| F | 9 | |
| SH | 15 |
| 3 | OFF | |
| 6 | F | |
| 19 | SH |
Ball Possession
Rodrygo also hit the left post, but just before halftime, Vinicius capitalized on a pass from Aliou Dieng, lifting a cheeky finish over El-Shenawy.
Valverde followed suit by scoring from close range after El-Shenawy deflected Rodrygo’s shot less than two minutes into the second half.
Al Ahly’s hope was rekindled with Maaloul’s calm penalty conversion after Eduardo Camavinga tripped Hussein El Shahat.
Despite Modric’s missed penalty opportunity, it did not impact the outcome of the game.
Rodrygo’s audacious finish in added time sealed the deal for Madrid, followed by Arribas’ goal to open his account for the senior team.
